Merz to MAGA: Butt out of Europe’s elections

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized a U.S. Trump administration funding scheme aimed at supporting free speech and religious liberty in Europe, warning against foreign interference in German elections. The $5 million initiative, linked to U.S. efforts to support nationalist parties like the Alternative for Germany (AfD), has drawn opposition from Merz, who emphasized the illegality of foreign financial support for political actors in Germany.